A collage of images is being shared on social media claiming it as the before and after pictures of the Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine after the Russian invasion. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Before and after pictures of the Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
Fact: The second photo shared in the post was taken in 2014 when violent clashes erupted between the anti-government forces and Ukraine Security forces in Kyiv. The picture shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hence, the post shared in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the second photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in an article published by the ‘ABC’ news website on 20 February 2014. According to the article, in February 2014, violent clashes erupted between the anti-government protestors and Ukraine Security forces in Kyiv, the Capital city of Ukraine. These protests reportedly started in 2013 after the then Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych spurned a European trade and political deal and instead sealed a $15 billion bailout from Russia. Several demonstrators and Police reportedly lost their lives in these violent clashes that took place in Kyiv. The photo shared in the post shows the International Square (also called Maidan Square) after the Kyiv riots in 2014.
Reporting the same, several news websites have published articles in February 2014. They can be seen here, here, and here. Amie Ferris-Rotman, a journalist who worked in several international news organizations had compared pictures of Kyiv’s International Square before and after the violent riots similarly in 2014.
The latest visuals of Kyiv’s Maidan Square after the Russian advance in Ukraine can be seen here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the image shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
To sum it up, a 2014 photo is being shared as the picture of Kyiv’s Independence Square after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
